IFA 2012 Newbies: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and HTC Desire X

By Anu Passary | Aug 31, 2012 12:57 PM EDT

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The IFA 2012 has unleashed a bevy of high-end devices into a highly-competitive smartphone market. The latest offerings from two rival tech giants - the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and HTC Desire X - have announced their arrival with a bang and are set to conquer the smartphone market.

The Galaxy Note 2 is a follow-up to Samsung's original Note, which sold 10 million units worldwide within the first nine months of its launch. HTC's new Desire X is an upgraded version of the HTC One V.

Here is a round-up of the features and specifications of the two smartphones.

Display

The Galaxy Note 2 sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display with 1280 x 720 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Desire X features a 4-inch WVGA Super LCD display with 800x480 resolution. The Desire X's display apparently utilizes optical lamination technology, which is similar to the company's flagship model, the One X.

Size and Weight

The Note 2 measures 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4mm, is 8.7mm thick and weighs 180gms.

The Desire X's dimensions are 18.5 x 62.3 x 9.3mm and the device is 9.7mm thick. It weighs 144gms.

Processor and OS

A dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 768MB of RAM powers the Desire X. The smartphone runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box.

The Galaxy Note 2 features a 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex A9 processor with 2GB of RAM. The Note 2's processor is currently amongst the fastest in the market. The phablet will come pre-loaded with the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Camera and Battery

The Desire X has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and supports WVGA video recording. A 1650mAh battery will power the Desire X.

The Note 2 steals the show with its mammoth 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.9-megapixel front-facing one. The rear-facing camera offers 1080p HD video recording. The device features a powerful 3,100mAh battery.

Internal Storage

Samsung has introduced a new 64GB Note 2 variant along with the expected16GB and 32GB variants. The HTC offering has a mere 4GB of on-board storage.

Both smartphones offer microSD card options. The Galaxy Note offers expandable memory option of up to 64GB. The Desire X offers up to 32GB.

USP

Galaxy Note 2's new and improved stylus - the S-Pen - offers an improved ergonomic grip and the rubber tip stimulates a pen and paper experience in a better manner. Additionally, users simply need to move the stylus above the phone surface, and the Air View feature enables them to see previews of e-mails, videos, albums etc.

The Desire X has been touted as "an extension of your social life" and features the Beats Audio technology, courtesy HTC's partnership with Dr. Dre, which brings high-quality sound to the smartphone.

Colors, Pricing, and Availability

The Desire X will be available in black and white variants, whereas the Note 2 will be available in the Marble White and Titanium Grey options.

Samsung announced that it expects the Galaxy Note 2 to be available in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East by October. The U.S. launch will happen by year end. HTC's offering is anticipated to be available in selected markets across EMEA and Asia Pacific by mid-September.

No information on the pricing of both the devices is available. However, rumors indicate that HTC's Desire X will cost somewhere between the Desire C and One V's price range. The Note 2 is also expected to be priced competitively.